Ralf Little is leaving BBC1’s Caribbean crime caper Death in Paradise after nearly five years of playing DI Neville Parker. The
Actor - the longest-lasting as the lead - will make his final appearance in Sunday’s episode, in a storyline which sees him continue with his quest to find true love. His departure means that producers will recast the lead in the hit drama - which was 2023’s third biggest in the
UK behind Happy Valley and Doctor Who . Little, 44, was the fourth actor to star, following on from Ben Miller, Kris Marshall and Ardal O’Hanlon. One show source said: “Ralf has been brilliant in the role and he’s given it a good long run. Fans are sure to be sad to see him go but they’ll also be happy for Neville.” The series, which launched in 2011, has already been commissioned for a 14th run and will also return for a
Christmas special this year, which is set to film over the coming months. In recent weeks there has been mounting speculation from viewers that much-loved Neville could be on the way out. They were crushed at the end of Sunday’s episode when he departed the fictional island of Saint Marie - filmed on Guadeloupe - without coming face to face with returning detective sergeant Florence Cassell, played by Joséphine Jobert. When he took on the “dream role” in 2019 the Royle Family favourite said: “It took less than 0.005 seconds to say yes to playing the new DI! How could I not? It is a joy to play Neville and I can’t wait for viewers to see him in paradise.” Ralf Little will bow out of the
BBC series in scenes set to air on Sunday night ( Image: BBC) The one thing
Amazon shoppers must do to get the biggest discounts in the huge spring sale In 2021 he admitted that it made him angry to hear people describing the drama, which attracts up to 8million viewers, as their “guilty pleasure”. "I am still trying to gently steer the narrative away from that phrase,” he said. “What is there to be guilty about? It is a high quality show, with a complex murder with new characters and a mystery that has to be resolved and they do it all in an hour. And it looks beautiful - never was murder so enjoyable. It is an incredible achievement. It is something I am very proud of.” The drama airs in over 240 territories around the world including Australia ,
France,
South Africa and the US, and celebrated its 100th episode during the current run. Follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok , Snapchat ,
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